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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. band — a music group
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spring — a coil
  5. shower — rain
  6. spring — the season
  7. shower — to wash
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. present — there
  12. band — a ring
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. present — a gift
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. stand — to bear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com